An accused arrested in connection with the alleged sale of spurious liquor in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district used artificial intelligence to learn how to prepare liquor at home using chemicals and water, police said, adding that forensic reports are awaited to establish the cause of the reported deaths.

Police on Wednesday said that one of the accused, arrested after claims of several deaths due to spurious alcohol in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district, used AI to learn the method of preparing liquor at home by mixing chemicals and water. The accused mixed fake and real alcohol, filled it into empty licensed liquor bottles procured from scrap dealers and sold it, primarily in rural areas, they said.

The police on Monday arrested 10 persons for allegedly selling illicit liquor and recovered six cartons of country liquor from their possession, Dewas Kotwali Police Station in-charge Shashikant Chaurasia said. During interrogation of the accused, information about the production and sale of fake liquor came to light, he said.
Ajay Rathore, one of those arrested, had allegedly been using Artificial Intelligence (AI) since September to look up home-brewing methods and then ordered chemicals through a private firm in Indore, the official said. He, however, did not specify the chemicals.
Rathore allegedly procured empty bottles of licensed liquor from scrap dealers between October 2 and 7 and prepared fake liquor at home by mixing chemicals and water, with help from other accused, the official said. Those arrested include two managers and two salesmen of three licensed liquor shops in Dewas and Indore districts, who allegedly supplied alcohol illegally to Rathore and others, he said.
"Initial investigation and interrogation showed that the accused mixed fake liquor made at home using chemicals with real liquor. Facts have emerged that this adulterated liquor was sold to local residents between October 6 and 12," the official said. The warehouse of the private firm in Indore, from where the chemicals were used to make the spurious liquor, has been sealed, he said.
The police have added relevant provisions of the Excise Act to the FIR registered in connection with the manufacture and sale of spurious liquor. The viscera samples of the two deceased, along with the recovered liquor and other materials, have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The cause of death will be confirmed after the investigation report is received, the official said.
The involvement of two other employees of the licensed liquor shop has also come to light, and a search is underway for them, he added. Villagers have claimed that at least 10 persons died after allegedly consuming poisonous liquor between September 27 and October 16 in Chandana, Binjana, and surrounding areas in Dewas district.
State Congress President Jitu Patwari has claimed that 22 persons died and at least 40 lost vision in these areas over the past month due to consumption of toxic liquor. The district administration initially dismissed the claims of deaths due to toxic liquor. After the controversy escalated, the state government formed a five-member high-level investigation team to probe the matter. 
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